Usability analysis for user interface based systems

ABSTRACT

A method for evaluating the usability of user interfaces is provided. The method may include capturing user interface data. The method may also include determining whether the plurality of user interface data follows user interface guidelines associated with the user interface. The method may further include determining scores for the user interface based on the determination of whether the user interface data follows the user interface guidelines. Additionally, the method may include implementing the user interface using the user interface data to log usage data associated with the user interface. The method may also include capturing user interaction data associated with the user interface based on the logging of the usage data. The method may further include detecting correlations between the user interface data and the user interaction data. The method may also include presenting the scores, correlations, and an analysis based on the scores and the correlations.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, andmore specifically, to user interfaces.

User interfaces are deployed on applications and programs such as webbrowsers, email programs, machinery, and operating systems for computerand mobile devices. Generally, user interfaces enable users to controland operate devices to produce a desired result. Specifically, userinterfaces may include a set of commands and menus to communicate withapplications and programs. As such, user interfaces are typicallydesigned for efficiency and ease of operation. Furthermore, userinterface design requires an understanding of user needs and of thefunctionality required by the system to accomplish the user needs.Therefore, different phases or processes may be involved in userinterface design, and may include such processes as user and taskanalysis, information architecture, prototyping, simulation, andusability testing to test the performance of the user interface.

SUMMARY

A method for evaluating the usability of at least one user interface isprovided. The method may include capturing a plurality of user interfacedata associated with the at least one user interface. The method mayalso include determining whether the plurality of user interface datafollows a plurality of user interface guidelines associated with the atleast one user interface. The method may further include determining aplurality of scores for the at least one user interface based on thedetermination of whether the plurality of user interface data followsthe plurality of user interface guidelines. Additionally, the method mayinclude implementing the at least one user interface using the pluralityof user interface data to log a plurality of usage data associated withthe at least one user interface. The method may also include capturing aplurality of user interaction data associated with the at least one userinterface based on the logging of the plurality of usage data associatedwith the at least one user interface. The method may further includedetecting a plurality of correlations between the plurality of userinterface data and the plurality of user interaction data. The methodmay also include presenting the plurality of scores, the plurality ofcorrelations, and a plurality of analysis based on the plurality ofscores and the plurality of correlations.

A computer system for evaluating the usability of at least one userinterface is provided. The computer system may include one or moreprocessors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or morecomputer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructionsstored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for executionby at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of theone or more memories, whereby the computer system is capable ofperforming a method. The method may include capturing a plurality ofuser interface data associated with the at least one user interface. Themethod may also include determining whether the plurality of userinterface data follows a plurality of user interface guidelinesassociated with the at least one user interface. The method may furtherinclude determining a plurality of scores for the at least one userinterface based on the determination of whether the plurality of userinterface data follows the plurality of user interface guidelines.Additionally, the method may include implementing the at least one userinterface using the plurality of user interface data to log a pluralityof usage data associated with the at least one user interface. Themethod may also include capturing a plurality of user interaction dataassociated with the at least one user interface based on the logging ofthe plurality of usage data associated with the at least one userinterface. The method may further include detecting a plurality ofcorrelations between the plurality of user interface data and theplurality of user interaction data. The method may also includepresenting the plurality of scores, the plurality of correlations, and aplurality of analysis based on the plurality of scores and the pluralityof correlations.

A computer program product for evaluating the usability of at least oneuser interface is provided. The computer program product may include oneor more computer-readable storage devices and program instructionsstored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage devices, theprogram instructions executable by a processor. The computer programproduct may include program instructions to capture a plurality of userinterface data associated with the at least one user interface. Thecomputer program product may further include program instructions todetermine whether the plurality of user interface data follows aplurality of user interface guidelines associated with the at least oneuser interface. The computer program product may also include programinstructions to determine a plurality of scores for the at least oneuser interface based on the determination of whether the plurality ofuser interface data follows the plurality of user interface guidelines.Additionally, the computer program product may further include programinstructions to implement the at least one user interface using theplurality of user interface data to log a plurality of usage dataassociated with the at least one user interface. The computer programproduct may also include program instructions to capture a plurality ofuser interaction data associated with the at least one user interfacebased on the logging of the plurality of usage data associated with theat least one user interface. The computer program product may furtherinclude program instructions to detect a plurality of correlationsbetween the plurality of user interface data and the plurality of userinteraction data. The computer program product may also include programinstructions to present the plurality of scores, the plurality ofcorrelations, and a plurality of analysis based on the plurality ofscores and the plurality of correlations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings. The various features of the drawings arenot to scale as the illustrations are for clarity in facilitating oneskilled in the art in understanding the invention in conjunction withthe detailed description. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a networked computer environment according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is an example of correlations graph according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an operational flowchart illustrating the steps carried out bya program for evaluating the usability of user interfaces;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the system architecture of a program forevaluating the usability of user interfaces;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an illustrative cloud computing environmentincluding the computer system depicted in FIG. 1, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of functional layers of the illustrative cloudcomputing environment of FIG. 5, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may beembodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theexemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to thoseskilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known featuresand techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresented embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field ofcomputing, and more particularly, to user interfaces. The followingdescribed exemplary embodiments provide a system, method and programproduct for evaluating the usability of user interfaces. Therefore, thepresent embodiment has the capacity to improve the technical field ofuser interface design by improving the operability and efficiency ofuser interfaces based on evaluating the usability of the userinterfaces. Specifically, the usability of user interfaces may beevaluated by capturing the user interface details, and capturing userinteraction with the user interface details, to identify correlatingfactors and improvements.

As previously described with respect to user interface design, userinterfaces may be evaluated for efficiency and ease of operation.Furthermore, the design of user interfaces requires an understanding ofuser needs and of the functionality required by the system to accomplishthe user needs. Therefore, application developers may need to evaluatethe usability of user interfaces. Additionally, application developersmay want to determine the operability of user interfaces and the errorsaffecting the operability based on user interaction with the userinterfaces. Furthermore, application developers may want to identifyusability issues, determine the cause of the usability issues, and takecorrective steps to improve usability based on the usability issues. Assuch, it may be advantageous, among other things, to provide a system,method and program product for evaluating the usability of userinterfaces by capturing and analyzing user interface details andanalyzing user interaction with the user interface to improve the userinterface design. Specifically, the system, method and program productmay capture user interface details and user interaction details, andidentify correlating factors based on the user interaction with the userinterface to evaluate the efficiency of the user interface and toimprove usability.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, theusability of user interfaces may be evaluated. Therefore, in oneembodiment, user interface data may be captured. Then, according to oneimplementation, the user interface data may be evaluated to determinewhether the user interface details meet user interface guidelines. Also,according to one implementation, a score for the user interface data maybe determined. Next, according to one implementation, the user interfacemay be implemented to log usage details. Then, according to oneimplementation, user interaction data may be captured. Next, accordingto one implementation, correlations between the user interface data andthe user interaction data may be detected. Furthermore, according to oneimplementation, the scoring data and the correlation data may bepresented.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The following described exemplary embodiments provide a system, methodand program product for evaluating the usability of user interfaces bycapturing user interface data and user interaction data and identifyingcorrelating factors to improve the user interface.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, theusability of user interfaces may be evaluated. Therefore, user interfacedata may be captured. Then, the user interface data may be evaluated todetermine whether the user interface data meets user interfaceguidelines. Also, the user interface data may be scored based on thedetermination of whether the user interface data meets user interfaceguidelines. Next, the user interface may be implemented to log usagedetails. Then, user interaction data may be captured. Next, correlationsbetween the user interface data and the user interaction data may bedetected. Furthermore, according to one implementation, the scores andthe correlations may be presented.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary networked computer environment 100in accordance with one embodiment is depicted. The networked computerenvironment 100 may include a computer 102 with a processor 104 and adata storage device 106 that is enabled to run a user interfaceevaluation program 108A and a software program 114. The software program114 may be an application program such as an internet browser and anemail program. The user interface evaluation program 108A maycommunicate with the software program 114. The networked computerenvironment 100 may also include a server 112 that is enabled to run auser interface evaluation program 108B and a communication network 110.The networked computer environment 100 may include a plurality ofcomputers 102 and servers 112, only one of which is shown forillustrative brevity.

According to at least one implementation, the present embodiment mayalso include a database 116, which may be running on server 112. Thecommunication network may include various types of communicationnetworks, such as a wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), atelecommunication network, a wireless network, a public switched networkand/or a satellite network. It may be appreciated that FIG. 1 providesonly an illustration of one implementation and does not imply anylimitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements.

The client computer 102 may communicate with server computer 112 via thecommunications network 110. The communications network 110 may includeconnections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber opticcables. As will be discussed with reference to FIG. 4, server computer112 may include internal components 800 a and external components 900 a,respectively and client computer 102 may include internal components 800b and external components 900 b, respectively. Client computer 102 maybe, for example, a mobile device, a telephone, a personal digitalassistant, a netbook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktopcomputer, or any type of computing device capable of running a programand accessing a network. According to various implementations of thepresent embodiment, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B mayinteract with a database 116 that may be embedded in various storagedevices, such as, but not limited to a mobile device 102, a networkedserver 112, or a cloud storage service.

According to the present embodiment, a program, such as a user interfaceevaluation program 108A and 108B may run on the client computer 102 oron the server computer 112 via a communications network 110. The userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B may evaluate the usability ofuser interfaces. For example, a user using a computer, such as computer102, may run a user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B, thatinteracts with a database 116, to evaluate the usability of userinterfaces by capturing user interface data and user interaction data,and identifying correlations between the user interface data to improvethe user interface.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an example of a correlations graph 200according to one embodiment is depicted. According to oneimplementation, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may capture user interface data. For example, the userinterface may be a user interface for a mobile application and/or aweb-based application, having one or more navigable display screens.Furthermore, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may capture user interface data such as, but not limited to, screensize, screen resolution, font size 202, font color, background color,application icons, and user interface controls. Additionally, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture userinteraction data. Specifically, the user interface evaluation program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture and analyze user interactions with theuser interface such as, but not limited to, the user interface controlsclicked on by the user, the time spent on the navigable display screens,and the think time 204 of the user to accomplish specific tasks.

Thereafter, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may detect correlations between the user interface data and the userinteraction data. For example, the user interface evaluation program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determine that the differences in the font size202 used in user interfaces may affect the readability and think time204 by users. Specifically, the user interface evaluation program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may determine that a threshold font size 202 of 10-12point font may positively affect the readability of the user interfaceand thereby decrease the think time 204 for users to perform tasks, asopposed to font sizes 202 beyond the threshold font size that negativelyaffects readability and increases user think time 204. As such, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may display thecorrelation between the font size 202 and the think time 204 in acorrelations graph 200.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an operational flowchart 300 illustrating thesteps carried out by a program for evaluating the usability of userinterfaces is depicted. At 302, the user interface evaluation program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture the user interface data and userinterface guidelines associated with a user interface. As previouslydescribed in FIG. 2, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may evaluate user interfaces that are associated with mobileand web-based applications. Therefore, the user interface evaluationprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture the user interface data such as,but not limited to, the screen size, the screen resolution, the fontsize 202 (FIG. 2), the font color, the background color, the placementicon/link, the readability based on the font size to screen size ratio,the font size to screen resolution ratio, font color to background colorratio, and the consistency of appearance and placement of user interfacecontrols and language.

Furthermore, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may capture the user interface guidelines that determine the userinterface details. Specifically, user interfaces may be designed basedon user interface guidelines associated with the user interface. Forexample, the user interface guidelines may determine the font size, thescreen size, and the icon placement. Accordingly, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture the user interfaceguidelines such as, but not limited to, device guidelines, industryguidelines, and company guidelines. For example, a company may design auser interface associated with a mobile application for an Apple® device(Apple and all Apple-based trademarks and logos are trademarks orregistered trademarks of Mozilla and/or its affiliates). As such, theuser interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture theuser interface data as well as the company guidelines, the Apple® deviceguidelines, and the industry guidelines associated with the userinterface.

Then, at 304, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may determine whether the user interface data meets the user interfaceguidelines. As previously described in step 302, user interface data maybe designed based on user interface guidelines, such as deviceguidelines, company guidelines, and industry guidelines, associated withthe user interface. As such, the user interface evaluation program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may determine whether the user interface data meets thedevice guidelines, industry guidelines, and company guideline by scoringthe user interface. Specifically, according to one embodiment, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determine that auser interface having user interface data fully meeting the userinterface guidelines receive a score of 1 and then move on to step 308.Alternatively, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may determine that a user interface having user interface data deviatingfrom the user interface guidelines receive a score less than 1, wherein0 is the lowest possible score, and move to step 306.

Therefore, at 306, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may reduce the score for the user interface based on userinterface deviations. As previously, described in step 304, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determine that auser interface having user interface data fully meeting the userinterface guidelines may receive a score of 1. However, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may reduce the scorefor the user interface based on the user interface data not meeting theuser interface guidelines. For example, the user interface evaluationprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may capture user interface data associatedwith a mobile application, such as the font size 202 (FIG. 2) andbackground color, as well as capture the user interface guidelines.Then, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maydetermine that the background color meets the user interface guidelines,but determine that the font size 202 (FIG. 2) does not meet the userinterface guidelines. Therefore, the user interface evaluation program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may reduce the score of the font size parameter from1 to a lesser score based on the font size 202 (FIG. 2) deviating fromthe user interface guidelines.

Next, at 308, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may implement the user interface to log usage details. As previouslydescribed in step 302, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may capture the user interface data associated with a userinterface. As such, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may implement the user interface to log usage of the userinterface data by deploying the user interface and enablingnotifications based on the usage details. Specifically, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may log usage detailsby enabling notifications based on user interactions with the userinterface data. Also, according to one embodiment, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may log usage details for aspecified time period, for a specified number of users, and for aspecified number of display screens For example, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may implement a user interfaceassociated with a web application to log user interactions with the userinterface whereby the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may receive notifications such as, but not limited to, a userclicking on a link associated with the user interface, a user accessinga display screen associated with the user interface at a specific time,and the time spent by users scrolling on specified pages.

Then, at 310, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may capture the user interaction data. As previously described in step308, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may logusage details based on user interactions with the user interfacedetails. Therefore, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may capture the user interaction data based on the logging ofthe usage details. For example, and as previously described in FIG. 2,the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may captureand analyze user interaction data such as, but not limited to, theicons/links clicked on by users, the click path by users, the distancecovered by users to click on specified links, the time spent by users onthe navigable display screens, the number and type of actions performedon specified screens, and the think time 204 (FIG. 2) for users toaccomplish specific tasks through the user interface.

Next, at 312, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may detect correlations between the user interaction data and the userinterface data. As previously described in step 306, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may reduce the score for the userinterface based on deviations by the user interface data from the userinterface guidelines. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect correlationsbetween the user interaction data and the user interface data based onthe user interface deviations. For example, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may reduce the score for the userinterface based on the font size 202 (FIG. 2) not meeting the userinterface guidelines. As such, and as previously described in FIG. 2,the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determinethat the differences in the font size 202 (FIG. 2) used in the userinterfaces may affect the readability and think time 204 (FIG. 2) byusers. Specifically, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may determine that a threshold font size 202 (FIG. 2) of 10-12point font may positively affect the readability of the user interfaceand thereby decrease the think time 204 (FIG. 2) for users to performtasks, as opposed to font sizes 202 (FIG. 2) beyond the threshold fontsize that negatively affects readability and increases user think time204 (FIG. 2). Furthermore, the user interface evaluation program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may detect correlations such as, but not limited to, theplacement of certain controls may affect the time spent on screens, thefont color may affect the actions performed on certain screens, and thescreen size may affect the distance covered and time spent scrolling oncertain screens.

Then, at 314, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may present the user interface scoring data, the correlations data, andanalysis data. As previously described in step 304, the user interfaceevaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determine whether the userinterface data meets the device guidelines, industry guidelines, andcompany guidelines by scoring the user interface. Also, as previouslydescribed in step 312, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may detect correlations between the user interaction data andthe user interface data. Furthermore, the user interface evaluationprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may present the scoring data and thecorrelation data, as well as analysis of the scoring data andcorrelations data, in a report.

For example, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may present in the report an overall score for the user interface basedon whether the user interface data meets the user interface guidelines,and may also present a score for the user interface based on whether theuser interface data individually meets the user interface guidelines.Specifically, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may present a score for the user interface based on the deviceguidelines, a score for the user interface based on the companyguidelines, and a score for the user interface based on the industryguidelines in the report. Additionally, the user interface evaluationprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may present a score for each user interfaceparameter such as a score for the font color, a score for the backgroundcolor, a score for the font size 202 (FIG. 2), and a score for placementof user interface controls. Also, for example, and as previouslydescribed in FIG. 2, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may plot the correlations in a correlations graph 200 (FIG. 2)and present the correlations graph 200 (FIG. 2) in the report.Additionally, the user interface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may present an analysis of the scoring data and the correlations data.For example, based on the logging of usage details associated with theplacement of icons/links on a certain user interface screen, the userinterface evaluation program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may determine thatexceeding a certain threshold number of icons/links on a corner of theuser interface screen may result in users having to return to the userinterface screen for erroneously clicking on a least one of theicons/links not associated with the task the users want to accomplish.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 of internal and external components ofcomputers depicted in FIG. 1 in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG.4 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not implyany limitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements.

Data processing system 800, 900 is representative of any electronicdevice capable of executing machine-readable program instructions. Dataprocessing system 800, 900 may be representative of a smart phone, acomputer system, PDA, or other electronic devices. Examples of computingsystems, environments, and/or configurations that may represented bydata processing system 800, 900 include, but are not limited to,personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thickclients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputer systems, anddistributed cloud computing environments that include any of the abovesystems or devices.

User client computer 102 (FIG. 1), and network server 112 (FIG. 1)include respective sets of internal components 800 a, b and externalcomponents 900 a, b illustrated in FIG. 4. Each of the sets of internalcomponents 800 a, b includes one or more processors 820, one or morecomputer-readable RAMs 822 and one or more computer-readable ROMs 824 onone or more buses 826, and one or more operating systems 828 and one ormore computer-readable tangible storage devices 830. The one or moreoperating systems 828, the software program 114 (FIG. 1), the userinterface evaluation program 108A (FIG. 1) in client computer 102 (FIG.1), and the user interface evaluation program 108B (FIG. 1) in networkserver computer 112 (FIG. 1) are stored on one or more of the respectivecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 830 for execution by one ormore of the respective processors 820 via one or more of the respectiveRAMs 822 (which typically include cache memory). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4, each of the computer-readable tangible storagedevices 830 is a magnetic disk storage device of an internal hard drive.Alternatively, each of the computer-readable tangible storage devices830 is a semiconductor storage device such as ROM 824, EPROM, flashmemory or any other computer-readable tangible storage device that canstore a computer program and digital information.

Each set of internal components 800 a, b, also includes a R/W drive orinterface 832 to read from and write to one or more portablecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 936 such as a CD-ROM, DVD,memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk orsemiconductor storage device. A software program, such as user interfaceevaluation program 108A and 108B (FIG. 1), can be stored on one or moreof the respective portable computer-readable tangible storage devices936, read via the respective R/W drive or interface 832 and loaded intothe respective hard drive 830.

Each set of internal components 800 a, b also includes network adaptersor interfaces 836 such as a TCP/IP adapter cards, wireless Wi-Fiinterface cards, or 3G or 4G wireless interface cards or other wired orwireless communication links. The user interface evaluation program 108A(FIG. 1) and software program 114 (FIG. 1) in client computer 102 (FIG.1), and user interface evaluation program 108B (FIG. 1) in networkserver 112 (FIG. 1) can be downloaded to client computer 102 (FIG. 1)from an external computer via a network (for example, the Internet, alocal area network or other, wide area network) and respective networkadapters or interfaces 836. From the network adapters or interfaces 836,the user interface evaluation program 108A (FIG. 1) and software program114 (FIG. 1) in client computer 102 (FIG. 1) and the user interfaceevaluation program 108B (FIG. 1) in network server computer 112 (FIG. 1)are loaded into the respective hard drive 830. The network may comprisecopper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers.

Each of the sets of external components 900 a, b can include a computerdisplay monitor 920, a keyboard 930, and a computer mouse 934. Externalcomponents 900 a, b can also include touch screens, virtual keyboards,touch pads, pointing devices, and other human interface devices. Each ofthe sets of internal components 800 a, b also includes device drivers840 to interface to computer display monitor 920, keyboard 930 andcomputer mouse 934. The device drivers 840, R/W drive or interface 832and network adapter or interface 836 comprise hardware and software(stored in storage device 830 and/or ROM 824).

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrative cloud computing environment 500 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 500 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 100 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 500A, desktop computer 500B, laptop computer500C, and/or automobile computer system 500N may communicate. Nodes 100may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown)physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private,Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or acombination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 500 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 500A-Nshown in FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 100 and cloud computing environment 500 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 6, a set of functional abstraction layers 600provided by cloud computing environment 500 (FIG. 5) is shown. It shouldbe understood in advance that the components, layers, and functionsshown in FIG. 6 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments ofthe invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layersand corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 610 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers; storagedevices; networks and networking components. In some embodiments,software components include network application server software.

Virtualization layer 612 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 614 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA. A User Interface Evaluation program may evaluatethe usability of user interfaces.

Workloads layer 616 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; and transactionprocessing.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for evaluating the usability of at leastone user interface, the method comprising: capturing a plurality of userinterface data associated with the at least one user interface;determining whether the plurality of user interface data follows aplurality of user interface guidelines associated with the at least oneuser interface; determining a plurality of scores for the at least oneuser interface based on the determination of whether the plurality ofuser interface data follows the plurality of user interface guidelines;implementing the at least one user interface using the plurality of userinterface data to log a plurality of usage data associated with the atleast one user interface; capturing a plurality of user interaction dataassociated with the at least one user interface based on the logging ofthe plurality of usage data associated with the at least one userinterface; detecting a plurality of correlations between the pluralityof user interface data and the plurality of user interaction data; andpresenting the plurality of scores, the plurality of correlations, and aplurality of analysis based on the plurality of scores and the pluralityof correlations.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of userinterface data comprises at least one of a plurality of font size, aplurality of font color, a plurality of background color, a plurality ofplacement of icons/links, a plurality of screen size, a plurality ofscreen resolution, a plurality of font size to screen size ratio, aplurality of font size to screen resolution ratio, a plurality of fontcolor to background color ratio, and a plurality of user interfacecontrols.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of userinterface guidelines comprises at least one of a device guideline, acompany guideline, and an industry guideline.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the determining a plurality of scores for the at least one userinterface further comprises: determining a plurality of scores for atleast one of a plurality of font size, a plurality of font color, aplurality of background color, a plurality of placement of icons andlinks, a plurality of screen size, a plurality of screen resolution, aplurality of font size to screen size ratio, a plurality of font size toscreen resolution ratio, a plurality of font color to background colorratio, and a plurality of user interface controls; and reducing theplurality of scores based on a plurality of deviations associated withthe plurality of interface data and the plurality of user interfaceguidelines.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the implementing the atleast one user interface using the plurality of user interface data tolog a plurality of usage data further comprises: enabling a plurality ofnotifications based on the plurality of usage data.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the plurality of user interaction data comprises atleast one of a link click path associated with users, a distance coveredby users to click on plurality of links, a time spent by users on aplurality of display screens, a plurality of actions performed on theplurality of display screens, and a think time for users to accomplish aplurality of tasks.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting theplurality of scores, the plurality of correlations, and the plurality ofanalysis further comprises: displaying the plurality of scores, theplurality of correlations, and the plurality of analysis in at least onereport, wherein the at least one report comprises a plurality ofcorrelation graphs plotting the plurality of correlations between theplurality of user interface data and the plurality of user interactiondata.